Tag Archives: B.R.A.K.E.

Weeks seven and eight of Yoga Tree Teacher Training! The breath. Inhale. Exhale. The vitality of the breath; the peculiarity distinguishing the living from the nonliving. Yoga without awareness of the breath is simply stretching.

Prāṇāyāma – the Sanskrit word meaning extension of the prāṇa or breath or extension of the life force. There are three lobes in a human lung and they have the capacity to hold approximately five cups of air, but the average person only breathes in one cup into one lobe. There are over fifty pranayama techniques to deepen the breath and gain access to the life force of prana. Several studies show that pranayama techniques are beneficial in relieving a range of stress-related disorders, improving autonomic functions and reducing signs of oxidative stress. One simple method is to add one second to each exhalation, so your exhalations grow increasingly longer than your inhalations. This is a quieting, calming breath pattern that combats stress. The practice of pranayama breathing is a catalyst for deepening meditation and yoga. Here is a helpful article that profiles pranayama within six of the major yoga traditions: Prescriptions for Pranayama.

It seems so simple, but we constantly have to remind ourselves to just breathe. I came across this the other day and I’m finding it helpful when I find my thoughts obsessing about alopecia… B.R.A.K.E., don’t break down. Alopecia and anxiety go hand in hand – Why did this happen? When will it grow back? What if it doesn’t? Will it happen again? Why did it fall out in those areas? Why is it growing in those areas? Could I have prevented this? Will I pass this on to my children? Is it really linked to diet? Gluten? Dairy? Trauma? Stress? Pregnancy? Labor? Which treatments? Side effects? Why isn’t there a cure? Hat? Scarf? Wig? Nothing? Why now and not when I really felt stressed? Why?

I know how difficult it can be and please know that you are not alone in the challenges of living with alopecia. Nietzsche said: ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ It may be a part of your life, but alopecia doesn’t have to define you. Like the spirit of Dia De Los Muertos, the loss can be celebrated… no doubt this is making you stronger and more resilient.